A Way Back
by Casa Circe
Summary: Ruby and Viktor discuss the possibility of returning to their lands. And the doctor has his doubts. They both realize what home might really mean.
1. Chapter 1

A Way Back

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of this story and that's that.

**Note: I don't know why I bothered writing this. It's really short. But I needed to get it out of my system. Enjoy. And leave some feedback if you can! If there's enough interest, I think I might continue this.**

"Do you think it will work?" Viktor asked skeptically.

Ruby had just been updating the doctor on the plan of growing magic beans in order to open a portal back to their lands. The giant, Anton, was working with the dwarves to plant the beans and it was only a matter of time before they could harvest them.

"It's the only lead we have for now," Ruby said, "but I have faith that the last bean was brought to Storybrooke for a reason. We'll finally be able to go home."

When he continued to look doubtful, she took his hand encouragingly.

"You'll get your chance too," she said reassuringly, "you can finally go back to your brother."

"Perhaps," he said hesitantly. Now that there was a real possibility of returning to his land, he no longer seemed keen on doing so. He missed his brother and wanted to bring him back, but after his latest failure with Daniel, he was beginning to think that perhaps the dead were best left where they were. He had just spent 28 years being someone else, and not necessarily someone better than he was. But still, here was a chance at starting anew.

The dark-haired girl looked at him in puzzlement. He seemed lost in thought, as he often was now, and she hoped that he wouldn't lose himself in darkness again. Lately, he had seemed…happier than he had ever been after the curse was broken and she had been so relieved. They had spent what little free time they had just talking and walking around together and it had been quite pleasant. And with this news, she had hoped to cheer him up a bit.

"Viktor, what's wrong?" she asked in concern.

He looked at her carefully and tried to find the best way to answer. But he could not. He simply could not explain why he felt this sudden wave of doubt.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking," he answered gravely, "after all these years, and after all that's happened, I'm not sure that there's anything or anyone to go back to in my land."

"Oh, I see," said Ruby.

"It's ridiculous, I know," he said dismissively, "but I think I've gotten so used to Storybrooke already."

That wasn't it. He didn't really believe that. But why was he hesitant to even leave? What changed? What would he be leaving behind?

"Well, we've all had to get used to it," Ruby commented, "but we all still miss our home."

Viktor looked at her and saw how the thought of going home lit up her face and made her smile even more radiant. He had never felt that way about his land; it had just been a place of origin, an address, somewhere to live. But for Ruby and everyone else in town, it was home.

But strangely enough, he had begun to feel more at home in Storybrooke than he ever had in his land, where he had always been treated as someone strange and different, by everyone except his brother. Here, somehow, he was not alone. Many people respected him as a doctor and there were a few who even considered him a friend. Such as Ruby.

And it was at that moment that he realized what had been holding him back.

There were a very few things that Viktor loved about Storybrooke. But the one that he loved the most would be the most difficult one to let go.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_NOTE: People were interested in seeing me continue this so I decided to do just that. There might be one or two chapters after this. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'm open to them. And I always love to receive reviews._

Strange a thought as it seemed, Storybrooke was his home. At least for now. And he wasn't so sure what he would have to go back to if the magic beans worked and he was allowed to return to his land.

The memories of his old life were all of work. He had lived for nothing else but to perfect his work and bring honor and glory to his family, to make the name Frankenstein stand for greatness. And instead, for all his efforts, he had only brought shame and destruction.

It had been a mercy that he had forgotten all this pain for twenty-eight years, that he had been allowed to start a new life and to fill it with the things he had missed out on back home. He still had his work but it did not consume him completely. He had finally used his skills as a doctor to help people and to save lives. Perhaps not in the prolific way that he had always dreamed of but at least, no one else was dying because of him. But that mercy was at an end and they were now all forced to face the failures of their past.

A large part of him wished that the beans would never grow, that the townspeople would be forced to stay in Storybrooke for a longer time. He knew it was selfish to think so and didn't dare voice his wishes, especially when he saw how everyone else was looking forward to going home. But being here, living his simple life, and spending time with _her_ were all the things he needed to be happy right now. And he didn't want to lose everything again.

"It's because they still believe they have something to go home to," he thought grimly, "whereas there was never much for me there anyway."

"Hey. You okay?"

The doctor's thoughts were interrupted by the dark-haired diner waitress. Ruby held a pot of coffee in front of him and also looked at him in concern. Lately, he was becoming even more thoughtful and reserved and she worried about him.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile and pushed his empty coffee cup towards her for a refill.

"I'm fine," he said, though not very convincingly, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"When don't you?" Ruby teased lightly, "But make sure you're not working too hard, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a grin.

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Leroy and his fellow dwarves. They had just come back from a shift on the bean fields and were eager to have some of Granny's excellent meals. Ruby went to serve them and chatted with the dwarves a little on the progress of their planting. They were all very cheerful and hopeful about the fruits of their labor. Even Leroy managed to smile as he discussed their work.

From his seat, Whale listened to the conversation with a heavy heart. It seemed that things were already put in motion that could no longer be undone. The beans would send them home soon.

After talking some more with the dwarves, Ruby returned to her place by Viktor's side and she immediately noticed the grave expression on his face and she then surmised that this was a result of the bean discussion. She now recalled that he had grown more pensive ever since they had had that conversation about the magic beans bringing them home.

And after some thought about his situation based on the many conversations they had had since that day on the docks, she realized that he was one of the few people who weren't looking forward to returning to his world. There must have really been a lot of crap he wanted to forget, she thought sadly.

"Hey," she said gently, "I know there's some stuff you probably never want to go back to. But if we're given this chance to return to our worlds, maybe you can finally sort everything out, finish what you've started so that you can move on to something better."

Whale looked at her gravely and nodded. He appreciated her sympathy and encouragement but there was more to his dilemma than simply facing his old demons. He didn't want to leave Storybrooke because he wasn't sure that he would ever see _her _again. But he didn't dare tell her that because he wasn't sure she felt the same way. He didn't want to spoil the joy she felt at the prospect of going home. And yet, now that it seemed like time was running out for them, that soon they would have to leave Storybrooke, he felt that he needed to know.

"Would you," he began nervously, "would you have me go back?"

He didn't dare ask "Would you miss me if I left?" but he knew that she was a smart woman and she would probably pick up on it.

Ruby was taken aback by the question. She didn't expect to have any bearing on his decision to return to his land and it was only then that she began to seriously consider what would happen if he chose to do that. They would part ways, each to his or her world. And considering how difficult it was to find passage to any magical realm, there was a serious chance that once they left, they would never see each other again.

"And how would you feel about that?" a voice inside her whispered. Ruby could not answer immediately, although she felt a strange pang in her chest. She looked at Viktor more seriously and struggled to formulate a good reply. For all her words of advice, when it came to her own feelings, she was tongue-tied.

But she saw that he was waiting anxiously for her to say something.

"I," she began hesitantly before finally saying, "I would want you to do whatever made you happy."

But before Viktor could properly react to this, Ruby was called away, much to her relief, leaving the doctor to ponder on what she had just said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Note: This chapter is purely from Ruby's point of view. I have a general sense of how this story shall proceed but I am still open to suggestions and ideas. And any feedback would be most appreciated. Hope you like it._

"Granny, what are you planning to do when we get back to our land?" Ruby asked one day.

Her grandmother looked at the girl over the rim of her glasses and then shrugged.

"Why, what we've always done, I suppose," the old lady replied curtly. Before Ruby could ask for any more details, a customer took away Granny's attention.

_What we've always done_, the words echoed in Ruby's head as she tried to figure out what they meant. She ran through a list of the things everyone had been busy doing just before the curse.

They had stood by Snow and her family, fought with her, protected her, defended the kingdom, and supported Snow in trying to thwart Regina's plans. They had all worked together to make sure that evil would not prevail.

And they were still doing that. After twenty-eight years in the dark, the fight continued.

Of course we'll keep doing that, Ruby thought. If they manage to defeat Regina and Rumplestiltskin (who she still believed was a threat in spite of all that had happened), there would always be other enemies to face and everyone in Storybrooke would face these new threats together, as they had always done.

_Together,_ she thought. All those years under the curse were not so bad for her because she was still with her family and friends.

She understood now how painful it was for Emma to have been torn apart from her family and how difficult it now was for Snow and her family to repair the damage. But somehow, slowly but surely, they were making up for lost time. They were together now, and that was what mattered.

Ruby knew how terrible it was to be alone in the world and it was a fate she would never wish on even her worst enemy. For so long she struggled to find a place where she belonged, to accept who she really was, _what _she was, and it had taken a long time. But eventually, through the support and love of people around her, she found her place.

But after all that had happened, was the Enchanted Forest still the place where she belonged?

She had never doubted that until the day she spoke to Viktor about going home. And for the past few days, their last conversation continued to haunt her thoughts. She had not seen him since then because he was too busy at the hospital and in a way, she was relieved. Recently, she enjoyed spending time with him but at the moment, she could not face him.

She still didn't know how to explain what she told him the last time.

_"I would want you to do whatever made you happy."_

She was sure that she had meant every word. He had become her friend ever since that night at the docks and she truly wanted him to be happy. But she now realized that their circumstances were very different and his going back to his land would not bring the same joy that she expected when she returned to hers.

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted being so insensitive to him. After all, she had known all about his painful past and yet she still suggested that it would be good for him to go back. She had meant well, of course, but now she saw that how difficult it was for him to even think of going back, after all that had happened. She wanted to apologize but she knew he would say that there was nothing to apologize for.

But it was true that she wanted him to be happy. She knew she cared about him. She was beginning to realize that these feelings ran deeper than she had expected. In such a short time, she had learned more about him than she had about some of her closest friends. They had shared secrets and stories they had never shared with others before and so they had somehow fought their demons together. They had grown stronger in their time together.

_"Would you have me go back?"_

If it wasn't going to make him happy then he shouldn't, she thought.

But no, there was more to it than that.

If he went back, there was a chance that she would never see him again. One could hope that there would be enough magical beans to enable frequent transport between magical realms. But everything was complicated enough and there was no knowing what would happen once they all left Storybrooke.

From what she heard from Snow and Emma about their land, it was no longer the home that they had always known. Time had taken its toll on it and things were never going to be the same. No doubt there were similar circumstances in Frankenstein's world.

_If he goes back, you might never see him again_.

She frowned as she thought about this. The idea would not leave her head. It refused to be ignored; it had to be faced. _How would you feel about that?_

She needed to be honest to herself about this. The harder she tried to fight it, the less she was able to deny it.

_I want him to stay_, Ruby admitted finally, _I don't want him to be all alone again._

And? The little, nagging voice in her head persisted. What else?

Ruby sighed, finally giving up the struggle that had raged within her, the waves of denial that she had tried to use to suppress what she had been afraid to admit. She was well-acquainted with internal struggles but this was something new to her. She had always been open about her feelings before and she wondered why she was having difficulty admitting them now.

Probably because this was the first time they were ever this deep. And the power of her emotions was both thrilling and frightening because, for the first time, there was a horrible risk. So much was at stake and everything was about to change. She needed to be clear and honest about how she felt before it was too late.

She could not bear even the thought that she might never see him again.

_I want to stay with him_, Ruby thought with fierce determination, _it doesn't matter where we end up, as long as we're together._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Note: This is the final chapter for this little story and I hope you like it. I wasn't sure what direction to take this and it turned out a little better than I expected. I've decided to end it here because I feel that this is a good moment to stop and move on to other projects. I plan to participate in Frankenwolf week so I figured it best to wrap this up before I start more Frankenwolf stories. It's a simple and straightforward ending and hopefully, not too cheesy. I was also very obviously inspired by some memorable lines from Doctor Who._

_Thank you to everyone who has read the story and I'd love to hear from you! Any comments and feedback would be most welcome._

The good doctor sank into his chair after a long, grueling day. He sighed and rubbed his aching head. It was tough being one of the few licensed physicians in town. He had to take care of almost all types of injuries.

Sometimes he thought that if he had taken that commission in the army, it would have been less work than what he had to put up with in Storybrooke. But then again, that was another life.

There was a knock at the door and Whale looked up to see a smiling Ruby holding out a basket of goodies.

He grinned at her.

"You're an angel," he said gratefully as she put the basket on his desk and brought out a thermos of piping hot coffee.

"Hardly," she replied with a smile, "Everything all right?"

"So far," he said, "but I still have a bunch of other patients to see in a bit. Hopefully, people stop getting into accidents but I think that may be too much to ask in Storybrooke."

"That bad, huh?" Ruby asked sympathetically.

"I know I shouldn't complain though," Viktor remarked, "I like keeping myself busy. Everything all right with you?"

"Just fine, thanks," Ruby replied, "although we're all really dismayed about what happened to the bean fields."

"Oh, yes, I heard about that," Whale said, "I'm sorry."

"I still think there will be some beans left undamaged," Ruby continued, "they asked me to sniff around and though I haven't found any live seedlings yet, I think whoever torched the fields would have kept some for him or herself. It's only a matter of finding out who was behind it."

"And I don't think there's a very long list of suspects for that," Whale added, "especially with Cora gone. Only a handful of people in town would have any motive to destroy everyone else's hopes."

"I know," Ruby agreed, "but it's one thing to find out who committed a crime and another to confront them about it."

"When that time comes, please be careful," Dr. Whale said in a concerned voice, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Ruby was surprised at how solemn he was and she tried to lighten the mood a bit.

"Don't worry, doc," she reassured him, "you won't have another patient on your roster. I'll be careful."

"I'm serious, Ruby," Whale said adamantly not even trying to hide how much he cared for her, "There's so much at stake now and I think the people involved will be willing to risk everything just to get what they want, no matter who stands in their way."

"I know that," Ruby replied in a more subdued tone, "and I'm not planning on throwing my life away for anything. I am looking forward to the future."

"Yes, when you get to go home again," Viktor said sadly, "I'm sure the issue with the beans will be sorted out. Knowing the intrepid members of Snow and Charming's family, things will fall into place soon enough. Everyone will be able to return to their lands soon."

"Only if they want to," Ruby added, boldly bringing up something she had wanted to talk to him about for quite some time now.

Whale raised an eyebrow at her in puzzlement.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Ruby sighed and saw that she would have to be more explicit. She wasn't sure if he was being clueless on purpose or if he really had no idea of what she was about to discuss. Either way, the truth needed saying.

"Viktor," she began gently, "I know that you've been having some doubts about returning to your world."

The doctor's expression grew grim but this did not dissuade Ruby.

"And I've been giving it some thought for the past few days," Ruby continued, "and I figured that maybe, only if you want to, you could come with us."

Viktor stared at her incredulously. But she was looking at him expectantly and he could see that she had meant every word. He didn't know how to react to this.

"And I don't just mean back to the Enchanted Forest," Ruby clarified, "because at this rate, we're not even sure if that's going to work out. I meant that you don't have to be alone anymore. You've endured the curse for 28 years along with everyone else. You're one of us now. And if you want, I wish you would come with us, wherever we end up."

"I," he began hesitantly but could not find a way to continue. He turned away from Ruby and tried to gather his thoughts properly while Ruby waited for his answer anxiously. This was better than anything he had ever hoped for. _She _was inviting him to go with her.

"Thank you," he managed to say after a few moments of happy confusion, "that really means a lot to me. I.. I would love to go with you, wherever you may go."

Ruby heaved a sigh of relief. For a moment there she had been afraid that he would refuse and she didn't know how she would bear it. But seeing the surprised joy and gratitude in his eyes made her unbelievably happy.

"That's great!" she exclaimed jubilantly.

And as was her nature, she threw her arms around him in an affectionate embrace.

Viktor was even more overwhelmed by this gesture and for a few moments he stood frozen in utter surprise. But her arms held him tight and he could almost feel the beating of her heart against his. Slowly and carefully, he put his arms around her and returned the hug sincerely.

"I'm so glad you said 'yes'," she whispered into his ear.

"I don't think I could ever refuse you," he replied honestly to which Ruby simply tightened her hold around him, "you mean so much to me."

They had not expected to reveal so much of their true feelings in such a simple way. But now that they had, they realized that there was never any need for big speeches or sweeping, romantic gestures. They had always understood each other well enough to forego the usual processes. Monster to monster, they shared a unique and powerful bond that would never be broken.

"So, it's a deal then?" Ruby said, pulling away from the embrace slightly so that she could get a good look at him, "We're going together or not at all. Is that clear?"

"It's a deal," he replied, beaming back at her, "together or not at all."


End file.
